See what the Bank of England’s Agents think about business conditions in Norfolk and East Anglia and what they think is going to happen with consumer demand, investment, exports, employment and the housing market. Click here to read the full report.
HMRC has been blasted for the length of time that callers have to wait before they get through to someone on the organisation’s helpline numbers.
The Low Income Tax Group undertook a mystery shopping exercise of three HMRC helplines in the week after Easter – the first of the new tax year – and it revealed that each caller was kept on hold for an average of 30 minutes before it was answered. The group also said it had reports of member clients hanging on the phone for up to an hour.
It says that over recent years, HMRC has consistently failed to answer their telephone helplines within a reasonable time-scale. It points to the halcyon days of the Inland Revenue back in 1997/98 when it vowed to answer a call within 30 seconds 91% of the time.
But now, according to the LITRG, callers “can spend four times as much time pushing buttons before you even get in a queue”. It said the subsequent wait can then be excessively costly for callers on a low income, especially as many rely on PAYG mobiles.
It carried out its “mystery shop” on Tuesday 10 April 2012 and made three calls using the routes taken by an ordinary PAYE caller, a pensioner and a tax credit claimant. On average, the wait was 29 minutes. On a PAYG mobile that could have cost £11.60 per call, which could equate to half a day’s income for a pensioner.
An HMRC spokesman said: “HMRC handles around 60 million telephone calls every year. During busy periods, there will be times when customers will find it more difficult to get through. We are working hard to improve contact centre service levels and have made good progress. We are managing busy periods better by deploying extra people to deal with short-term increases in demand.”
He added that the week after Easter was an exceptionally busy week, and typical call volumes can vary from 750,000 to 1.7m in any given seven-day period, so it was “very hard to forecast”.
“We are sorry if anyone has been kept waiting, or could not get through over the last couple of days, but we are getting back on top of things”.
Further details of the mystery shop exercise can be found on the LITRG website
The Government has introduced legislation promising to encourage long-term growth, although some of the country’s leading business organisations seem, at best, to be taking a wait-and-see attitude to the new proposals.
Presenting the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill to Parliament, Business Secretary Vince Cable said: “Growing our economy out of a period of acute crisis is the most pressing issue for this Government. We want to make sure the right conditions are in place to encourage investment and exports, boost enterprise, support green growth and build a responsible business culture.”
The Bill includes provisions to change the employment tribunal system by encouraging parties to come together to settle their dispute before a tribunal claim is lodged, through Acas early conciliation and greater use of Settlement Agreements.
It also aims to make the determination of less complex disputes quicker and cheaper for employers and employees alike, through a new “Rapid Resolution” scheme. Taking away the fear of employment tribunals will give business more confidence to take on new staff, the Government said.
The Bill will also address the disconnect between directors’ pay and long-term company performance by giving shareholders of UK-quoted companies binding votes on directors’ remuneration.
It will also reduce inspection burdens on businesses of all sizes and increase SME access to “reliable, consistent advice” on complying with regulations in areas such as trading standards, health and safety and environmental health.
The Bill has not been well-received by the Institute of Directors (IoD) with Alexander Ehmann, Head of Regulation and Employment Policy, describing it as disappointing.
“It signals another missed opportunity for the Government,” he said. “In a week where Adrian Beecroft’s report has dominated the news agenda, the gap between government rhetoric and actual deregulation is all too obvious.”
For the CBI, Chief Policy Director Katja Hall said that it was light on detail in some key areas.
“Companies will judge the Government’s progress by what changes in their business on the ground,” she said. “So far, there has been too little progress in too many areas, with the Government’s intended changes yet to filter through.”
The findings of a survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) show that existing regulations and problems around accessing credit are hindering export growth in the UK.
The survey of more than 8000 businesses shows that nearly two-thirds of potential exporters (63%) see access to finance issues as a reason not to trade overseas, while a quarter of companies believe that red tape, such as that associated with export licenses, is a barrier to doing so.
Furthermore, nearly three-quarters of companies that are already exporting have failed to put an export strategy in place.
With the domestic economy almost flat, however, exporting is seen as an important route to growth for companies and nearly half (44%) of respondents said they would be more likely to consider exporting if sales revenues deteriorated.
The BCC is calling for the creation of a business bank and for improvement in the service offered by existing banks to address issues around access to finance. In addition, it argued, high street banks should train front line staff to be able to explain state-backed financial products to their business customers.
It also wants to see more businesses encouraged to proactively pursue export opportunities and, to this end, would like a variable fee system to be introduced within the Overseas Market Introduction Service, which is operated by UK Trade and Investment.
If this was based on company size, the BCC suggested, it would prevent smaller firms from being crowded out.
BCC Director-General John Longworth said: “The Government can make some simple changes which will go a long way to giving firms the confidence and encouragement they need to trade overseas. Incentivising more firms to take part in trade missions would be a start to getting more companies thinking about adapting their products for the export market.”
Commenting on the proposals to reform collective redundancy prcedures announced by Norman Lamb today, Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber said:
“As they stand, the UK’s redundancy rules are outdated and damaging to Norfolk firms. Consulting for a quarter of a year to change the direction of a business is unnecessary and out of step with the modern world. Instead of thresholds and processes, the rules should encourage firms to focus on quality consultation with staff, and enable fair decisions in a swift timeframe. A shorter compulsory period of 45 days would allow quicker decision-making where the survival of the business could be at risk, such as following the loss of a major contract.
“Redundancy is always a last resort, but is sometimes necessary to save other jobs or prevent the business from failing. When tough decisions are necessary, businesses must be assured that the redundancy consultation process can be carried out efficiently, rather than being drawn out in a way that increases uncertainty for employers and employees alike.”
Concerns that the current economic situation might be encouraging countries to turn towards protectionism have been highlighted by the European Commission in its latest report on potentially trade-restricting measures.
It identifies what it describes as a staggering increase in such measures in the last 8 months, with 123 new restrictions introduced – a rise of just over 25%.
This brings the total number of restrictive measures in place to 534. The Commission argues that this represents a failure by the G20 countries and called on them to do more to prevent the introduction of new barriers to trade, and to rectify protective measures introduced since the start of the current crisis.
Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said: “Let us remind ourselves that the G20 pledged to end such practices and that protectionism benefits no-one. It sends the wrong signal to global trading partners, it sends the wrong signal to investors and it sends the wrong signal to the business community, which relies on a predictable business climate.”
Between September 2011 and 1 May 2012, the roll-back of measures slowed down: only 13 measures have been removed, compared to 40 measures between October 2010 and September 2011.
Overall, only about 17% (89) of the measures have been removed or lapsed since October 2008.
Russia deserves close scrutiny, according to the Commissioner, as one of the most frequent users of trade-restrictive measures, especially as these may not conform with its obligations as an upcoming member of the World Trade Organization.
The report covers 31 of the EU’s main trading partners, including the G20 countries: Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Brazil, Canada, China, Ecuador, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, the USA and Vietnam.
The Government has received 269 bids from employers looking to take part in a new pilot to design and develop their own vocational training programmes, Skills Minister John Hayes has announced.
The Employer Ownership pilot invited the first round of bids earlier in the year for a share of the £250 million fund which will aims to channel public investment directly to employers so that they can invest in the training and skills development they need to develop their business.
“Skills are central to the UK economy and our long-term competitiveness,” Mr Hayes said, “and we’re making excellent progress with the biggest apprenticeship programme in modern history. That’s why the Government has put building workforce capabilities through training at the heart of our economic strategy.”
Testing the impact of greater employer ownership of the vocational training agenda is the key objective of the pilot, he explained.
The vision of greater employer ownership has been championed by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) – a non-departmental public body that provides strategic leadership on skills and employment issues.
Its Chairman, Charlie Mayfield, said: “The pilots are all about encouraging innovation and partnership in an area that is critical to the growth and success of our economy. I look forward to seeing what changes we can start to make as a result of these investments.”
The winners of the bids will be announced later in the year.
30.05.12
Norton is a name synonymous with the British motorcycle industry. Founded in 1898, it came under new ownership in 2008 and, after a period of intense research and development, production started at its new home at Donnington Park in Leicestershire.
As interest grew and the order book expanded, it became clear that the production facility would have to be extended to cope with customer demand. Owner and CEO, Stuart Garner, spoke to a number of banks in 2010 to see whether they could find a solution that would fit the company’s specific requirements and circumstances.
Follow their story here.
If the assistance they received sounds like it could help you, contact the Norfolk Team:
Tracy Grazioli, Director of Trade Finance Tel. 07803 377062 EMail. [email protected]
Elaine Mather, Relationship Director Tel. 07787 977989 EMail. [email protected]
Brandon Lewis, MP for Great Yarmouth met with members of the Great Yarmouth Chamber Council to discuss local issues. Among the topics for discussion were education, rejuvenation of the town centre, improvements to the railway station and the Enterprise Zone.
Mr Lewis advised that there was work to do to inspire ‘aspiration’ with Great Yarmouth’s young people. He was keen to work in conjunction with the education establishments and local businesses to get the message across to students and young people to ensure they understand what exciting opportunities are available to them and how to access them.
Brandon Lewis said “It was good to have the opportunity to discuss matters that were important to Great Yarmouth businesses with the Chamber Council and to work together with them to find ways to support of business growth in Great Yarmouth”.
In the beautiful setting of Norwich Cathedral Ruud Haket, MD Greater Anglia updated delegates on his vision for the company at the most recent Chamber Breakfast. He talked about the improvements that Greater Anglia are putting into place with regards to customer service. These included simplifying ticket bookings and improving customer facing through continuous staff training.
He talked specifically on improving the rail service in Norfolk, a key part of this being working to reduce number of weekends affected by disruptive engineering works. He also mentioned actively promoting the region, including partnerships with tourism bodies.
Rail travel being a key issue for many people in the region meant that there were a lot of questions for Ruud and delegates generally left feeling positive about the improvements that are being put in place.
As well as hearing from Ruud, five other delegates were given the chance to talk about a topic of their choice for sixty seconds which ranged from wine tasting with HarperWells to consulting with Gostling Consultancy.
The event closed with safari networking time which proved as popular as always giving local businesses the opportunity to make the right connections and do business. The next Norwich Business Breakfast will take place on 5 October and will incorporate the AGM. We also have Chill Time on 28th June which is our next networking event. To book you placeclick here.
The UK’s best and worst locations for doing business effectively have been revealed by a new survey from the Forum of Private Business (FPB). Energy costs and access to effective telecommunications top the list of infrastructure issues for small firms.
The survey, “Infrastructure for Growth”, found that, overall, 74% feel their location is effective for their business needs, with the key factors being their proximity to good road networks (16%), their centrality (14%) and their footfall (9%).
As far as geographical location is concerned, 79% of business owners in the North West feel their location is effective for their company, 78% in the South West, 76% in the Midlands, 75% in Wales, 75% in the East of England, 74% in London, the North East and Yorkshire, 67% in the South East of England and 65% in Scotland.
The survey also found that 80% of respondents thought energy costs are an extremely important infrastructure issue and 80% also cite the importance of telecommunications and broadband access. Working down the list, 75% believe the reliability of the energy supply to be a key issue, 73% feel local banking services are key and 65% cite local roads. The next priorities are post office services (60%), mobile communications (59%), the motorway network (56%), the provision of skills training (46%), waste services and recycling (41%), e-communications (32%) and rail transport (23%).
When asked what infrastructure-related problems should be prioritised by the Government, most business owners identified business rates (52%), followed by measures to boost consumer and business confidence (49%), health and safety regulations (45%), utilities costs (44%), tax policies (44%), other regulations (42%), reducing employment law (40%), and late payment and debt (28%).
Commenting on the speech made by the Deputy Prime Minister on youth unemployment today, Caroline Williams, CEO Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said:
“Despite a recent fall in youth unemployment, Norfolk employers remain deeply concerned about the number of young people unable to find work. Businesses want to hire young people, but economic uncertainty, combined with poor skills and a lack of experience, often makes it too risky.
“The Youth Contract is a good short-term solution to reduce these risks, but we have in the past argued for a wider reach and a bigger budget. The Deputy Prime Minister’s announcement is a good first step that will help more employers create opportunities for young people in areas worst affected by unemployment.
“The government could go further though, and remove the restrictions that prevent small firms with experience of hiring apprentices to benefit from grants that could encourage them to take on additional apprentices. There must also be a focus on creating a simpler offer for employers. Businesses are confused by the large number of employment initiatives with similar names and differing criteria, which are regularly launched by different departments, agencies and local authorities.
“Furthermore, the Department for Business and Department for Education must work together to reduce long-term structural youth unemployment. Future generations should leave formal education with the skills and experience to break into the workforce and remain in employment, making them less vulnerable in a challenging economic environment.”